I’m not so sure how our parents did it before but kiddie salons weren’t a thing back then. How did they cut our hair right? But today there are a couple of salon for small kids that sprouted around Metro Manila. It really depends on whether you want your baby’s haircut at home or in a salon.
Some parents would like to do their child’s haircut themselves. It’s not so hard- just watch tutorial videos in Youtube and you’ll get the confidence of knowing you can do it too! When you become a parent, you think you can do the impossible things for your child at times (because we really are willing to).
Some might think bringing them to the salon is the cutest thing ever and most ideal. But it really depends on your baby. Some babies enjoy and are curious with everything they see in the salon while having their haircut while other babies don’t want other people (strangers for that matter) touching them. You will never predict their reaction and how everything will go.
When is it time to have their first haircut? Well, for us it’s always around 1 year old or even before. It doesn’t really mean something to us though but it’s for a good look on their first birthday too, if needed. Some moms believe on the “pamahiin” that when you shave a baby’s hair it will grow back thicker and longer. Remember that baby hairs are really fine and it is different per child. It will all grow soon so no rush and don’t worry if your child has thin hair until after 2 years old. Genetics play a big role too.
To make things easy for the first haircut of your baby, here are a few tips.
Plan When and Where
If you plan to go to a kiddie salon, know where is the best place to go for you and when. Yes, you have to schedule this. Ideally parents will be there to support and share this special moment with their child. At least one of the parents is good too. Here’s our top picks for the kiddie salon.
Peppermint Salon – We’ve been to their branch in SM Aura and we love how patient the skilled the hairstylists are. Our eldest, Chesca, goes here. You can check out the details of their services and prices here.
image by Peppermint Salon
Peppermint Kids Salon and Spa Boutique
Basement 1, SM AURA PREMIER
McKinley Parkway corner 26th Street
Taguig City
Tel. No. (02) 553-3597
Mobile No. (0939) 925-1480
Open everyday from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Cuts 4 Tots
They numbers branches but we go to the one in Power Plant Mall. This is our little Matteo’s barbershop. We got his hair and before and after shot certificate too. Everyone was friendly and accommodating. Click here to go to their website and know more about their services too.
image by Cuts 4 Tots
Bring your baby’s favorite toys and get their favorite shows ready too. The toys and stuff in the salon are sometimes not enough.
If you plan to do it at home, just be sure you’re EXTRA careful handling the scissors around your child and expect the child to have sudden movements so please please, the scissors!
Timing
Timing is key! Little do we know that timing can make a difference in your child’s reaction to haircut. Make sure your baby got his/ her nap for the day, in a good mood at least, not sick or recovering from sickness, and not during almost nap time (when kids get cranky and sleepy).
Prepare your Child
Prepare your child in ways you can like make him/ her watch a video on haircut (the happy and fun ones. Like cartoon videos), pretend you’re having a haircut at home, bring your child when you go to salons and make them watch what they’re doing to daddy or mommy’s hair. Familiarity can help make them feel comfortable (not applicable to all kids though). Try explaining verbally what haircut is too.
Prepare yourself
Yes, this is important too. Expect the good, bad, and the worst. There’s nothing wrong in creating different scenarios in your head so you’ll be prepared for whatever happens. Prepare to even hold your child while having a haircut which means there will be hair all over you too (this happened to me already! and it’s not easy but we did it!).
With our first child, I expected the worst but it turned out pretty easy. It’s really different per child and sometimes we cannot do anything but trust the stylist. I salute some stylist who have so much patience and are so skilled from start to finish.
Make it a Positive Happy Experience
What ever transpired during your child’s haircut, it can be a way for the family to bond. Firsts are always important but also other things even not firsts are. Even if the haircut ended to be with so much tears or tantrums. You can always reward your child with a small thing after.
Our eldest was so chill during her first haircut but it changed lately. She doesn’t want people touching her hair. Good thing she can grow her hair longer since she’s a girl. Our boy was challenging for me. He fought with all his might to escape haircut session so I ended up hugging him while his hair was being shaved. Hair was all over my body and inside my shirt.
We cannot predict what will happen in every milestone of our children. As parents, we are here to guide them through the unfolding of life’s wonderful realities.
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